


system.out.print("fuck u");

by withlovelux



Series: i luv(ed) u, srry [2]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Unrequited, emotional distress, no beta we die like tommyinnit, sapnap is a good friend, the fluff is like one chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:03:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29832972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withlovelux/pseuds/withlovelux
Summary: He breathed in the late summer air, it’s warmth filling up his lungs as he sat on the roof top silently. He didn't want to lose like this.--Or: Three years pass, and George agrees to come to the U.S. for a convention with Sapnap.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound & Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: i luv(ed) u, srry [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2164638
Comments: 6
Kudos: 5





	1. ("i promise")

**Author's Note:**

> !!THIS IS A SEQUEL, PLEASE READ DAY & NIGHT FIRST!!
> 
> funky lil note: while i don't ship dnf, i am writing this bc a) my brain fucking hates me b) i got inspired once again c) i failed my last math test and d) i have one brain cell i am doing satan's work with it or i will die trying
> 
> if either cc says that theyre uncomfortable, this will be taken down immediately.

George frowned at his monitor, glancing over the code lazily. Subpoena was chatting about something he couldn’t quite place. There was faint music backing his words, gentle synth and the occasional spoken word. The gaps in the music were comforting, the low temperature of his apartment sending a chill through his bones. 

_ “George? You still there?”  _ Subpoena asked, voice quiet in his headset. He hummed lightly, barely loud enough for his mic to pick up.  _ “I thought you fell asleep for a minute. Did you hear anything I said?” _ _  
  
_

He clicked his tongue once, licking his lips as he poured over his code. “Uh, not really. Sorry, I was… Yeah,” George offered, his lame excuse falling flat as Sapnap hummed in response.

_ “Whatever. I was asking if you wanted to come visit me,”  _ the younger said casually, the sound of his keyboard echoing in George’s skull. He must have said something, because Sapnap laughed lightly, the bird song sound rumbling through his headset. 

They sat in silence for a few moments before Sapnap spoke again.  _ “There’s a convention coming up, you should come visit for it,”  _ he said, words casual as George felt his fingers lock. 

“Oh,” he said absently. George wasn’t entirely sure what to say in response- large gatherings were never his forte. He remembered the school dance that was hosted when he was still in college, how he had sat outside the gym with a joint he was sharing with someone, the music muffled as his phone rang. 

The two of them had sat in silent, holding smoke in their lungs instead of oxygen. He didn’t know who it was, and that anonymity was nice- it was comforting.

_ “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but I just thought I’d let you know.” _ _  
  
_

George wasn’t the best friend, he knew that. He could be absent at times, unsure and hesitant, never quite sure on how to comfort someone when they needed it. But he was tired- tired of sitting in his apartment alone, tired of being an absolute dog-shit friend. 

“No, I-” his voice failed him for a moment, and Sapnap waited like the damn-good friend he was. “I’ll visit. When’s the convention?”

  
  
He could hear Sapnap beam through his audio.  _ “It’s in a month! July 14th. I’ll send you the details after I stream.”  _

“I’ll be there, I promise.”   
  


_ 1. _

George didn’t know if he was going to be there or not.

He wrote down excuses, came up with lies, pulled himself together as he searched for reasons to cancel his flight. His boss wouldn’t let him take time off, something happened in his family, his sister called in a favor, one of his friends from university got engaged-

Fuck.

George groaned and let his head fall into his hands, dread settling in his gut. A convention- why the hell had he agreed to go to a  _ convention?  _ The likelihood that other content creators would be there- people he used to know so well- was extremely high, and George had spent the last three years thoroughly avoiding everyone from that era of his life, barring Sapnap.

Cat leaped onto his desk, tapping their foreheads together lightly. A small laugh bubbled in his chest, and he forced his anxieties down. Everything would be okay- he was going to go see Sapnap, he was going to go to the convention, and if he got overwhelmed, Sapnap would understand. 

It was going to be okay. 

George swept Cat up into his arms, trotting over to his bed and collapsing with a sigh. He pulled out his phone and refreshed Twitter- why the fuck was he trending?   
  


**Georgenotfound**

_ Fans of streamer GeorgeNotFound share their enthusiasm at the chance that GeorgeNotFound may appear in public for the first time in three years. _

He bit his lip at the summary, scrolling through the tweets with quiet motions. George felt his fingers begin to shake as he let the phone slide out of his hands, Cat curling up in the crook of his knees as he stared out the window. The tree stood still, leaves a deep yellow. 

The sun vanished behind buildings, the moon sitting on her high crystal throne as day turned to night. Silver-tipped fingers dragged lazily against the sky, freckles dotting the deep navy canvas. George’s bones felt heavy, his mind slow and groggy.

  
  
But sleep evaded him, leaving him staring at that goddamn tree for hours on end, thoughts wrapping their warm arms around him in the dead of night. The slight June warmth was comforting in its familiarity, along with its dreary weather.

George sighed and rolled onto his back, staring up at his ceiling silently. He’d take a nightmare over this any day of the week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi besties im back  
> short first chapter, but i was super excited to get this out so i promise the next chapter will be longer!! im also still outlining this, so give me a hot minute lol it might take a week before i get the next chapter out  
> anyway, i hope you guys like this :>


	2. (“had me wishing i was gone”)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> george felt cold.

_ “Hey, George! It’s been a bit since we chatted,”  _ Wilbur said, voice warm in his headset. George smiled as they exchanged pleasantries, small, familiar words sitting firmly in his chest.  _ “Did you want to talk about something?”  _

“Oh, right. Sapnap wants me to come visit for this convention- I think it’s in New York,” George said casually, fingers dancing over his keyboard as he typed out a couple lines of code.

Wilbur hummed lightly.  _ “Is it the one in July? I’m going to that one too, with Phil, Tommy, and some others.”  _ George laughed a bit at the notion- that’d be an interesting trip. He could feel Wilbur frowning slightly, but the other spoke before he could.  _ “Are you worried about seeing everyone in person?”  _

George sighed, rubbing his eyes slightly. “Yeah. I just- it’s not like I’m going to be on any panels, I’m just going to be there to hang out. So I’m not- I don’t know how to feel about it.”

  
  
_ “Well, do you want to go?” _

“Yeah, I do. I really do.”

  
  
_ “Then go,”  _ Wilbur said easily, and George hummed lightly as he continued.  _ “If you need to take a step back before actually talking to everyone, then that’s fine- I’m sure everyone will understand. And if you end up not coming, or leaving early, no one would blame you! Sure, some fans might be a bit disappointed, but you’re not active online anymore. You don’t owe anyone anything, George.” _

A smile pulled at his lips, and a thank you was spoken into his mic. He liked Wilbur- he was easy to talk to, and was very open to having conversations like these. He listened to Wilbur ramble about a video idea, he offered his two cents every once in a while. It was nice, not having to work very hard to keep up with other people. 

It was nice. They chattered like blackbirds, George mulling over the idea of a possible plugin Wilbur asked about. Random conversation topics arose between them, faint questions and gentle responses. 

  
  
And he was happy, when the call ended. Something warm sat nestled in his chest, a distant memory from years ago, from before when he was 24 and bore the weight of the world on his frail shoulders. 

As George had come to learn, all good things must come to an end. He has bid his farewells to Wilbur, promised to call if he needed anything, even if it was just to talk, and left the call. The warmth he felt dissipated, stolen from him like a burnt paper crane. 

His green tea had gone cold, and the slight bitter taste forced his face to scrunch up slightly. George had boiled the water too hot again, hadn’t he. A resigned sigh found its way out between his lips. Turning to his main monitor, he opened his latest project- a plugin for Sapnap to use live. 

George felt cold.

_ 2. _

The notification startled him, a small noise erupting from his throat as his phone vibrated on the counter. George turned away from the stove, glancing at the screen as a chill ran its fingers down his spine. The words taunted him, dredging up old memories from a past life.

**dreamwastaken is live!**

_ Jackbox w/ karl quackity and sapnap _

George bit his lip, mindlessly pushing around the stirfry he had made. Jackbox streams were always fun- loud, obnoxious banter and stupid amounts of laughter. They were always a stress relief for him, but he could barely remember the last time he played the game, or any game, for that matter. 

He plated his food and wandered back to his computer, settling in his seat and pulling open Chrome. For some reason, he typed in a familiar web address, navigating to the sidebar and clicking on an obnoxiously yellow icon.

Laughter that was something he used to know so well echoed through his headset, and George felt something heavy in his chest, something cold tucked between his ribs. Nostalgia rattled his lungs, stealing his breath with merciless hands as he watched people he once cherished bask in one another’s presence.

A couple minutes passed, and then something in the chat caught his eye.

**DTTWTMISSER:** george is in chat??? hello sir is that u???????

And George was so  _ tired.  _ He watched as chat started spamming his name- he could feel when Dream looked at the participants list and saw his name. The awkward laugh sounded through his headset, and George leaned back in his chair, eyebrows pinching together.

He navigated to Twitter hesitantly. Switching from his private, he opens the official GeorgeNotFound account and already hates what he sees. George’s lips turned downwards as he clicked on the trending page, cringing when he saw his name in all caps at the fifth spot.

Discord pinged in his headset, and his head whipped towards his second monitor. A DM from Sapanp- wonderful, just what he needed right now.

**Sapanp** hey r u watching the stream??

**GeorgeNotFound** yeah i thought i’d see what you guys were doing since dream streams every 5 years lol

**Sapnap** oh ok

**Sapnap** do u want to join? chat’s begging for u

George felt himself stiffen, jaw clenching slightly. He didn’t know how to respond, how to tell Sapnap that he was just nostalgic for an easier time, reminiscent of when he- fuck, he didn’t even know.

**GeorgeNotFound** i need to finish something for work, sorry

He didn’t bother to check what Sapnap’s reply was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have literally no idea how to write 1k+ chapters that was literally my whole thing w/ day&night y’all im trying to bring it back with later chapters there just isnt a whole lot i can touch on rn i promise the chapters are gonna be longer—


	3. ("domestic bliss and other bullshit")

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What did you buy?” George wandered over to the counter, peeking inside the bags and frowning. “What the hell is this?”
> 
> “Instant ramen.”
> 
> George looked at Sapnap like the younger had slapped him. “And that’s all you bought?” Sapnap turned his head to the right ever so slightly, eyes trained on George’s expression as he inclined his head. “Oh my fucking god- you really live like this?”
> 
> “Yeah?” Sapnap phrased the word like it was a question, and George scoffed.
> 
> “Sapnap, you can’t live off of cup noodles for every meal.”

“What the hell am I supposed to bring?” George grumbled, his phone tucked between the side of his head and his shoulder as he scurried around the flat.

_“George, you’re literally the most traveled person I know. How the hell do you not know what to bring with you on an international flight?”_ Sapnap asked, a teasing lilt to his voice. George mumbled a bland response as he folded a t-shirt, throwing it on his bed beside his suitcase. 

He took the phone and set it on the bed, putting the younger on speaker as Cat nestled himself in the folds of the blankets. “Most of those trips were for work, dude. I only ever really had to bring formal wear, since I was there _just_ for meetings.”

  
  
_“Boring. But you’re going to be here for, what? Three weeks? Just bring casual clothes, shoes, you know- basics.”_

“But what if I end up needing something else?”

  
  
 _“Then you buy it when you’re here!”_ Sapnap exclaimed. George could tell that he was exasperated, that he had probably thrown his arms up while speaking as one does when trying to make a point. _“You’re worrying about this too much. You’ll be fine, and it won’t be the end of the world if you forget something.”_

He hummed lightly, grabbing his laptop and shoving it in its case. “I suppose. I’m just- anxious, I guess.” George frowned as he listened to Sapnap sigh heavily, his gut twisting at the sound. “I’m sorry.”

_“You apologize too much.”_

“I know.”

Silence fell over them for a few minutes, an occurrence not so common he’s familiar with it, but not so distant it’s off putting. George folded shirts and pants as he listened to the faint clicking of Sapnap’s keyboard, the university student’s frustration clear in the amount of force he was using to type.

“Is an assignment giving you trouble?”

  
  
 _“I fucking hate philosophy,”_ Sapnap said, words coated with venom as George laughed lightly. _“I am going to_ kill _whoever decided that business and philosophy should be grouped into one minor, because now we’re talking about politics and this is the third paper I’ve had to write this month.”_ _  
  
_

George felt a smile pull at his lips as his hand smoothed out wrinkled blue fabric. “That’s nice.” He listened comfortably as Sapnap rambled about his class, about how he forgot to check _ratemyprofessors_ before signing up, how he didn’t even need this credit to graduate.

  
  
It felt oddly domestic.

_3._

“Where the hell are you?” He laughed into the phone, turning around in the airport, eyes glazing over strangers’ features in search of something familiar. “I can’t find you.”  
  


 _“Hold on, I think I see you. Do not move.”_ George felt his eyes widen and a faint smile spread onto his face. He turned around to look at the entrance, watching curiously as a man with short blonde hair pushed through the crowd. The man was tall, around 180 centimeters if he was to estimate. 

Why the hell was everyone so tall?

Suddenly, he yelped as he felt a hand hit the back of his head. George turned heel to stare at Sapnap, a shit-eating grin plastered on the younger’s expression. “Hey there, Georgie!” The words echoed through the phone speaker, a slight delay making him laugh. 

“I hate you so much,” George teased as he hung up the phone, shoving the device in his pocket as he rested a hand on his bags. “I hate you so fucking much.” 

They embraced briefly, Sapnap dragging George out of the airport by his wrist, weaving through the hordes of people. He watched curiously and Sapnap waved to someone briefly, but didn’t bother to linger on it. 

Chatter buzzed around the two as they got in the car, Sapnap poking fun at George for his inability to drive. George inevitably dozed off, the summer sun bright as he basked in its warmth. He heard Sapnap laugh faintly before he truly fell asleep, head propped up by the window to his right.

George felt warm.

_3._

He woke up on the couch. 

George sat up slowly, the blanket falling off his torso slowly. The flat was quiet to the point it was unsettling, the silence filling up his lungs and suffocating him. He heard the front door open, the shuffling of plastic bags and the clinking of house keys ringing through the empty hallways. 

“Oh, you’re awake,” Sapnap said quietly as he walked through the living room and into the kitchen. He set the bags down on the counter and turned around to face the older, leaning against the marble countertops casually with a small smile.

George sighed. “How long have I been out? And did you carry me in here or something?” 

Sapnap laughed lightly at the words. “You slept for, like, five hours, and yeah, I carried you in here. I didn’t want to wake up precious Gogy,” Sapnap teased, the corners of his lips turned upwards in a mischievous grin. George shook his head easily.

“You’re horrible, don’t call me that.” He got to his feet shakily as he spoke. “What did you buy?” George wandered over to the counter, peeking inside the bags and frowning. “What the hell is this?”

  
  
“Instant ramen.”

George looked at Sapnap like the younger had slapped him. “And that’s all you bought?” Sapnap turned his head to the right ever so slightly, eyes trained on George’s expression as he inclined his head. “Oh my fucking god- you really live like this?”

“Yeah?” Sapnap phrased the word like it was a question, and George scoffed.

“Sapnap, you can’t live off of cup noodles for every meal.”

  
  
The younger shrugged. “It got me through exam season, so I don’t particularly care.” George gaped at him, eyebrows pinching together in concern.

“We talked about this,” George said instead of yelling at the younger. “We’ve talked about this, Sapnap. Don’t- bloody hell- don’t fucking do that? Maybe? Y’know, just as an idea.” 

“I know, I just don’t have the time, some days.” 

“I get _some_ days, but for a whole week? That’s unhealthy as hell, dude. You could’ve at least gone to the dining hall or something- you had a meal plan, didn't you?”

  
  
“Yeah, but-”   
  


_“Then you should have used it!”_

Sapnap threw his hands up in defeat, grabbing his backpack and stumbling into his room, closing the door behind him with mock dramatics. George simply shook his head and rubbed at his eyes, dragging his hand down his face as he thought back to when Sapnap was a second year.

He had worked himself to the breaking point that year, and he was dealing with George and Dream’s bullshit the whole time. George had managed to whittle a couple details out of the university student about that year, but he never gave up much information. It was a bit concerning, but George had managed to get at least a _decent_ idea of what Sapnap had dealt with.

Getting a degree was hard. He had memories of pulling all-nighters for days on end to finish projects throughout his time at university, and it was draining. Exam season was never kind, but that didn’t mean that he would live off of cup noodles for a week.

It was the university student mentality, he supposed. George wandered into the kitchen and opened a cabinet, only to find it completely empty. Curious, he opened the rest of the cabinets, and found that one of them had literally every single piece of food Sapnap had shoved into it haphazardly.

“Sapnap, what the _fuck_ is this organization?” George yelled, taking the contents of the cabinet out and sorting it through the kitchen.

_“Space consolidation!”_ He heard the younger yell through the flat, startling a laugh out of him.

George sighed as he put things in their appropriate places. “Fucking idiot,” he muttered to no one in particular, shoving oranges into a bowl and setting them onto the marbled countertop, words drenched in honey and affection. 

It was nice, having someone around.

_3._

The day ended quietly, the sun tearing his golden threads from the fabric of the sky. The moon took his place, silver folds and dark marbling being thrown at the canvas instead. The flat was quiet, for the most part- George could hear Sapnap on call with someone slightly, light laughter echoing off the barren walls. 

He was tucked into an armchair when Sapnap left his room, a black t-shirt with a small flame embroidered on the shoulder covering his torso and what looked like a varsity jacket thrown over his arm haphazardly. George didn’t bother to ask where the younger was going, instead turning the page of his book. 

“What are you reading?” Sapnap asked as he pulled at the back of his shoe, the words quiet and oddly domestic. 

George hummed lightly, closing the book just enough to check what the title was. “ _Killing Commendatore_ by Haruki Murakami,” he rattled off absentmindedly, returning to the words on the page as Sapnap said something he didn’t hear.

A couple minutes passed in silence. The faint sounds of Sapnap collecting himself before leaving were something George barely heard, completely ennamoured by the phrasing and flow of the writing before him. He felt a hand land in his hair, and George looked up curiously.

“Did you not hear a single thing I said?” Sapnap asked, the corners of his lips turned downwards ever so slightly. George shook his head slightly, and Sapnap sighed. “I said that I’m going to go hang out with Karl, Quackity, and Dream. Do you want to come?”  
  


George felt his eyebrows pinch as he turned his head to the right slightly, inclining his head gently out of confusion. “Come again?” 

“Do you want to come with me?” Sapnap asked as he straightened his posture. George laughed lightly.

“No.” The answer was resolute, not a centimeter of room for debate in George’s tone. Sapnap’s frown deepened, and George could feel a lighthearted argument on the rise.

“Please?” Sapnap pleaded, poking George in the forehead gently. “I’ll pay for your food. Besides, you haven’t eaten dinner yet.”

George sighed, grabbing his bookmark and closing the book. “I’m not hungry right now,” he justified lamely. Sapnap put his hands on his hips and huffed lightly, looking like a disappointed mother.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. _Please_ come with me? Everyone would love to see you again.”

  
  
“I-” George started, searching for an excuse. “I’m not in any state to leave the flat, Sapnap.” 

The younger scoffed lightly, grabbing George’s arm and dragging him off the chair. “You’re just trying to get out of this, and I’m not going to let you get away with it. You’re, like, twenty-six? Twenty-seven? Grow up, and go get ready.” 

“I hate you so much,” George quipped, the words lacking bite as he shuffled away to his bedroom to throw on something a bit more appropriate for a meet up. He tossed on a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans, grabbing a pair of converse and a light hoodie before going out to meet Sapnap. 

Sapnap smiled at him as he toed on his shoes, soft grumbles and curses muttered beneath his breath as they left the flat. 

George hated it here, he swore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sapnap's living off that college kid mentality lmao  
> anyway here's ur fluff for this fic that's all ur getting


	4. ("high school reunion")

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George didn't bother to lower the temperature

George frowned as Sapnap pushed open the door of the diner, a light greeting ready on his lips. In a last ditch effort to avoid people, George tried to subtly slip away, but Sapnap grabbed his wrist before he could leave. With a slight sigh, George let himself get pulled into the diner. 

“George? I didn’t know you were coming,” Karl said once he saw him, and George gave a small, awkward wave in response. “It’s good to see you again, dude.”

  
  
“Likewise,” George responded blandly. The words were stilted and templated under his tongue as he greeted Quackity in a similar manner. He slid into the booth, Sapnap following suit, leaning against the window and staring at the passing cars. He graciously ignored the third person in the booth, who didn’t bother to call out a greeting either.

But George could feel green eyes burning a hole in his chest every once in a while as the night went on. 

He listened as they chattered like blackbirds in the early moring, like crows on electrical lines. It was nice, not having to participate in the conversation. They laughed at jokes and teased one another lightly, familiarity with one another evident in their actions. 

A hand rested on his shoulder and shook him slightly, whipping George out of the slight stupor he had lost himself in. He looked around briefly, blinking the liquid neon blur out of his eyes. “What? Sorry,” he said quickly, sparking a wind chime laugh out of Karl.

“We asked if you were participating in any panels,” Quackity asked easily, brushing his words to the side neatly. George shook his head lightly.

“Honestly,” he started, hesitated, then continued. “I’m just here because I didn’t want Sapnap to bitch about me being a flake.”

  
  
Laughter errupted from the table as a waitress stopped by, settling drinks onto the plastic surface. Sapnap gasped in mock offense as he slid a milkshake over to George, who looked at the younger curiously. “I thought you might want something,” he reasoned, taking a sip from his own drink. 

George sighed, and took a small sip from the milkshake. It was good. 

The hours passed as the sky dimmed further, their ghosts filling hollow bones as the night settled. Their chattered died down to soft words and gentle motions, their drinks slowly depleting. “I think I’m gonna head out,” Karl eventually says, rising to his feet and sliding out of the booth, Quackity shortly following suit. “It was great to see you again, George.” He nodded awkwardly.

The duo left the diner with muttered farewells, the bell dinging as the door shut behind them. It was approaching two in the morning, so he honestly couldn’t blame them. He, Sapnap, and one other sat in the booth for a moment, before Sapnap slid out of the booth with nothing more then a meaningful look.

George watched Sapnap jog up to Karl and Quackity, asking something he couldn’t hear. The two nodded enthusiastically, laughing gently before they all wandered away.

Then it was George and Dream, just like old times. Sun and moon, heaven and hell, black and white, land and sky.

And the world was silent.

_ 4. _

They didn’t speak for a considerable time, simply sitting in one another’s presence. It wasn’t awkward, but it wasn’t comfortable- it felt like limbo, perhaps a purgatory of sorts. 

_ Inhale, exhale.  _

“How have you been?” He asked, feigning relaxation and casualty in his words.

Dream looked a bit surprised at the words, but he replied nonetheless. “I’ve been fine. How about you?”

  
  
It felt like they were friends from secondary school who ran into one another in the market, on a dreary day where one of them was wearing a hoodie and a hat and the other had a shitty plastic umbrella. They would exchange greetings quietly, awkwardly, catching up with someone they used to know so well.

“As well as I can be, I suppose,” George said with a shrug, ring finger dancing along the edge of his glass. “Congratulations on 100 million.” The words felt hollow, but he truly did mean them. Dream smiled gently, the expression filled with nostalgia.

“Congratulations on seven million,” he said in return, startling a laugh out of George. It had been a running joke between Sapnap and him when they first noticed that, despite being completely inactive online, George was still gaining thousands of subscribers on a daily basis.

It buried itself in his chest, slipping cold fingers between his ribs as he would stare at the blank ceiling during the middle of the night, insomnia refusing to let him close his dry eyes for longer then five minutes.

They exchanged quiet words, gentle laughter filling the air as liquid neon invaded his lungs. They talked about the convention, small video ideas that would never get used, the notion of a vlog being thrown out the window as they recalled the last time the idea was brought up on Twitter.

It was nice, almost like they were friends.

“Hey, I have a question,” Dream said randomly after a second of thought. “Would you want to come on a panel with me and Sapnap? Just for old times’ sake.”

And this was where things got confusing for George. While, yes, he and Dream weren’t truly friends anymore, they hadn’t completely broken off contact. They still sent one another ‘happy birthday’ messages on Discord, George would sit in Dream’s chat every once in a while. They talked every once in a while a couple months after it all came to a stop, but they weren’t friends, even then.

They weren’t going to be friends ever again, at this rate.

George wasn’t sure what to call the man at this point. A friend? A stranger? A damn daisy?

  
  
His hesitation must have in obvious in his momentary silence, because Dream immediately spoke up, going on a short tangent about how George didn’t have to if he didn’t want to, how there was no pressure, how he could let this all fly under the radar, but-

“Dream, stop talking,” George sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Please. Just- just give me a second.”

The younger fell silent as George dragged his hands down his face, contemplating his life choices. He thought back to the day his handle was trending due to fans hoping he would make an appearance, how they had begged for him to join the voice call instead of lurking in the chat.

He sighed, coming to a conclusion he wasn’t entirely happy with. “Fuck it, sure. I’ll come on a panel with you and Sapnap,” George said, voice tinged at the edges with how tired he was. He looked up, and saw Dream fucking  _ beam  _ at him. 

“How the hell are you so bright? It’s, like, 02:52.”

  
  
Dream laughed lightly. “I don’t sleep, Georgie,” Dream quipped lightly, and George felt himself stiffen at the name. That- that wasn’t something he could do. They weren’t friends- fuck, they were strangers at best. But George bit his lip and muttered out an excuse, brief words as he slid out of the booth.

He left some cash on the table despite Dream saying that he’d pay for everyone’s drinks and left, refusing to turn back. The neon lights outside the diner burned his eyes, leaving behind a trace of giddiness as he thought back on what they used to be.

  
Because they used to be beautiful.

George stumbled through the streets, tripping every once in a while when he trotted up the stairs to the flat. His movements were stilted and thoughts choppy, actions sloppy as he shoved the keys into the door. He unlocked the flat and wandered in, a feeling he wasn’t the most familiar with  _ burning  _ him. 

Tired eyes fell onto three figures laying on the couch in the darkness. Their legs were tangled together, chests rising and falling slowly in time with one another. Blankets were caught between the trio, heads resting beside one another as the TV displayed a simple  _ “Are you still watching”  _ message.

George sighed lightly, toeing off his shoes and walking over to the coffee table. He grabbed the remote and turned off the TV unceremoniously, turning off the lamp in the corner before wandering to his own room. 

He grabbed a pair of pyjamas and shuffled into the bathroom, connecting his phone to a speaker and opening Spotify. George selected a random playlist, not bothering to check the songs. He started the shower and got undressed, bones heavy and tired as melancholy music surrounded him. 

And so he stood in the shower, the slight burn of hot water on skin familiar, but not entirely welcome. 

George didn’t bother to lower the temperature. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy ending, my ass.

**Author's Note:**

> i literally wrote this bc i wanted to make a fucking programming joke lol  
> [concept playlist pog?](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0rHWY9URi8zfhDkoYpcjgH?si=kOs6dsPNSoGB8ogKuDffiw)  
> [shameless twitter plug](https://twitter.com/hhbyte)


End file.
